DEFORESTATION IN GHANAby Isaac Abugri | 17-04-2018 23:40 |
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  The rate of deforestation in Ghana is estimated to be one of the highest in the world after Togo and Nigeria .At an estimated annual rate of 2% ,equivalent to 135,000 hectares per annum. The Green west Africa country is estimated to have lost over 60% of its forest cover from 1950 to date,which translates to about 2.7 million hectares of forest depleted .( www.enaghana.com) According to the Ghana REDD+ strategy reviewed document Prepared by the National REDD+ Secretariat of Ghana forwarded and released by the Forestry commission of Ghana in 2017,the main drivers of deforestation and degradation in the country are farming,both legal and illegal mining ,illegal lumbering ,wildfires ,fuel wood harvesting and infrastructural development while weak law enforcement coupled with corruption,population growth and development also form part of indirect causes. The forest land of Ghana is divided into three basic zones, these are:
The forest belts in Ghana are rich with natural resources which include minerals, timber and lots of animal species. These natural resources have been improperly used or abused, making crippling impact on the nature of the environment. The current rate of forest depletion, if not solved,could trigger serious ecological crisis in the nation which will influence agriculture, the economy, water resources and the general well-being of Ghanaians since it is estimated that the sector?s contribution to the GDP of the nation is 6%. |
